"He was never a UKIP MEP I'm pleased to say. He was elected on a UKIP list. I found out very quickly and I kicked him out even before he took his seat."

But here is the picture Farage would rather forget. Mote in the South Today studio the day after the 2004 election count, one of two UKIP MEPs elected in the South East England constituency.

Mr Farage was top of the list, Mote was number two. It is perfectly true to say that when they realised the charges being brought against him, UKIP acted swiftly to stop him sitting with them in the Brussels Parliament, but they got him there in the first place.

You can read the polls, talk to insiders, see which way the seaweed is blowing or talk to Jeremy Vine. But I can confidently predict the places in the South of England that will see the greatest turnover of MPs at this election.